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A Call To Service, Through Faith, Family
by U.S. Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Cody Beam
August 17, 2020
Lt. Timothy DeLaughter clutches a radio on the bridge wing of the
Arleigh Burke-Class guided-missile destroyer USS Mustin (DDG 89) as
the ship parallels USS Ralph Johnson (DDG 114).
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July 16, 2020
- Lt. Timothy Delaughter, assigned to Destroyer Squadron 15, says the evening prayer aboard the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Mustin (DDG 89). Mustin is underway conducting operations in support of security and stability in the Indo-Pacific while assigned to Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 15, the Navy’s largest forward-deployed DESRON and the U.S. 7th Fleet’s principal surface force. (U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Cody Beam)
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With a smile, DeLaughter said, “Can you hear me, son?”
DeLaughter grew up in the small town of North Manchester, Indiana
and eventually moved to Ashland, Ohio, where he cultivated
experience as a minister and pastor.
“Before I joined the
Navy, for about 20 years, I was a pastor for a small denomination
called the Brethren Church,” said DeLaughter. “I’ve also served
churches in Ohio, Indiana, Virginia and New Jersey.”
DeLaughter said that military chaplaincy had been an idea he fancied
since completion of seminary school in 1997.
“Opportunity,
timing—it never really worked out,” said DeLaughter. “In the summer
of 2016, I received an e-mail from a recruiter out of Ohio. It
indicated the age to join increased to 47. I was in between a
variety of different things at the time so I put it into the pile of
options on my plate and here I am.”
DeLaughter commissioned
into the U.S. Navy on Jan. 7, 2017 and reported to Naval Support
Activity Charleston. In March of 2020, he checked in aboard
Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 15 for his first sea tour, assigned to
USS Mustin.
“My focus is on bringing value to the command,”
said DeLaughter. “To add value to what group of people I’m with. To
increase the morale and positive expression is what I try to do.”
The distinction of military service would not be DeLaughter’s
alone, however. In August of 2019, DeLaughter swore his son Ian
DeLaughter into the U.S. Navy.
“I’ve wanted to be in the
military since I was 10 years old,” said Gunner’s Mate 3rd Class Ian
DeLaughter, from Charleston, South Carolina, assigned to the Arleigh-Burke
class guided-missile destroyer USS Ralph Johnson (DDG 114), part of
DESRON 9 and Nimitz Carrier Strike Group. “I [also] had a calling to
be a pastor in the summer of 2017.
Timothy DeLaughter’s
experience in the Navy after deciding to join in 2016 played a large
role in influencing his son’s choice.
“Being a chaplain, my
dad had insight in the different branches of the military,” said Ian
DeLaughter. “He showed me that I can do the thing I want to do and
something that I have been called to do at the same time, so I
joined the Navy to gain some insight on the enlisted side of the
military for when I become a chaplain.”
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July 18, 2020 - Gunner's Mate Seaman Ian Delaughter, from Charleston, S.C., assigned to the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Ralph Johnson (DDG 114), mans a control station while transiting the Strait of Malacca. Ralph Johnson is part of the Nimitz Carrier Strike Group and is deployed conducting maritime security operations and theater security cooperation efforts. (U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Anthony Collier)
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Ian DeLaughter’s answered the call to serve his country, but
actively pursues his call to faith as well. He attends regular
services aboard Ralph Johnson and hopes to assist with the religious
services in the future.
"I participate in religious services
aboard Ralph Johnson by attending as many services as I can,” said
Ian DeLaughter. “I am a protestant, but sometimes I will even go to
the Jewish services to see how it works for religions other than my
own."
Nearly a year after joining the Navy, Ian DeLaughter
stood on the bridge of Ralph Johnson, directly parallel with Mustin
during dual carrier operations, which brought both carrier strike
groups together.
Ian DeLaughter did not know he would be so
close to his father. Although their time together in the Pacific
Ocean was fleeting, as Nimitz Carrier Strike Group soon departed for
operations in U.S. 5th Fleet, he stated that he was happy to connect
with his father on the bridge radio that day. They discussed how
deployment was going as well as how Ian was progressing on his
enlisted surface-warfare specialist pin.
Ralph Johnson is
underway conducting operations in 5th Fleet, which encompasses about
2.5 million square miles of water area and includes the Arabian
Gulf, Gulf of Oman, Red Sea and parts of the Indian Ocean. The
expanse is comprised of 20 countries and includes three chokepoints,
critical to the free flow of global commerce.
Mustin is
underway conducting operations in support of security and stability
in the Indo-Pacific while assigned to Destroyer Squadron (DESRON)
15, the Navy's largest forward-deployed DESRON and the U.S. 7th
Fleet's principal surface force.
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